Hey Hey Hey!
WHEW! After a six day vacation away with my family, I’m so happy to be back! Before I share all the pics from our time away, we’ve gotta back up a little more. You guys know our schedule this summer has been all about baseball. Nixon had a few days off and flew to Nantucket to visit Smith. It occurred to me just a few days before he was leaving that the rest of us had nothing while he was gone. So, I convinced Tab, the other kids, and Gary & Marla {my in-laws} to head to Carlton Landing for a few days. We left on Monday, June 30th, stayed three nights and came home on July 3rd {the same days Nix was gone}.
I only recently heard about this adorable lake community located on Lake Eufala in Oklahoma about two hours and forty-five minutes north of McKinney. The company who developed Seaside, Florida, designed this walkable community complete with the CUTEST homes, fun events, and great amenities.
A little panoramic view of the gorgeous views when you arrive. Cute, right?
These chairs + these views are iconic Carlton Landing. If you’ve seen people visiting, you’ve probably seen a pic here as well.
We rented the cutest four bedroom + three bathroom house, did a Walmart pick up order in Oklahoma on the way there, and were set to enjoy 2 1/2 days on the lake. Tab and I took a walk each morning in search of the best views.
Just some of the goodness you can spot in Carlton Landing…
This house was my personal favorite. I did my best to convince my family we needed it. I even attempted to convince my in-laws they needed it. 😉
We rented a boat and a jet ski for the afternoon of our first full day. We packed lots of drinks, sandwiches, and snacks and set off. I think because it was right before the 4th the lake was super quiet.
At one point, this wild woman took over the wheel!
The jet ski was THE HIT! During this lake day experience, I was lovingly nicknamed, “Safety Sally”. I couldn’t help myself. “Slow down”, “Pay attention”, “You’re driving too close to the boat” were all types of things Sally found herself yelling to those precious teens of mine. 😉
Let me just tell you a lake trip is FUN with older kids!
Carlton Landing has three pools and we did our best to enjoy them as much as possible.
Our second day we spent some time at this Aqua Park. It’s located just steps off the dock at Carlton Landing. I booked these tickets once I booked the house. You get one hour to enjoy the floating obstacle course. Kids under a certain age need an adult so guess who was the lucky adult who got to experience this fun?
Yep! ME! {Looking like a drowned rat-ha!}. Bowen went ALL over this course while the girls and I hung together. We laughed SO HARD there were moments I couldn’t even pull myself up out of the water I was laughing so hard. Britt was so brave. She and I climbed up to a high spot and then had to jump {and it was high}.
Later that afternoon, I’d rented a floating cabana. I had NO idea what that even was but I was on a roll with making some plans. It was this big inflatable cabana that had about six seats under a covered canopy with space to lay out on the sides plus a paddleboard was tied up for use as well. EVERYONE got in on this fun and we had this for two hours. We took a speaker, packed drinks and enjoyed ourselves out on the water.
It was all fun and games until we had to use paddles to row ourselves back up to the dock! hahaha!
It was such a fun, quick getaway! A friend who visits frequently told me it’s a community that’s kind of like going back in time to simpler days. After visiting I completely understand. I didn’t wear a lick of makeup while I was visiting, we played games on the covered front porch, we had bikes to ride, my hair was a mess the entire time I was there, we rented a golf cart and cruised around the community, we cooked and dined out at the only two restaurants in town. We truly focused on having fun with our family while we were there. I’m so glad we visited!
And when we rolled out of town to head back to McKinney {I’d gotten “ready” on this day only} I was leaving with such a full heart. We missed Nixon! He would have loved it! But we had a great time getting away for a few days!
XO
